


the perfect heart lure (i had this feeling you were made for me)

by stuckinwanderlust



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: And I love her so I'll protect her for the rest of my life, F/F, Honestly this is Pina Colada Song without the 'I'm cheating my wife' part, Sam is Human
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-21
Updated: 2017-11-21
Packaged: 2019-02-05 04:30:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12786999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stuckinwanderlust/pseuds/stuckinwanderlust
Summary: One day, Lena finds flowers in her door and she ends up talking with a stranger by sticky notes.





	the perfect heart lure (i had this feeling you were made for me)

**Author's Note:**

> The title is from Lacuna - Heirsound, but the whole fic was inspired by The Pinã Colada Song... And I'm really addicted to flowers.  
> A big thanks for my lovely best friend Noniel (seriously, I don't know how you still being my friend when I keep sending this crazy ideas for you and you keep fixing my mistakes). I really owe you.

You’re having a tough week. You keep getting calls from your brother; your last date conveniently said the match was a mistake, coincidently the moment she found out your last name (you have Maggie to thank for that, seeing as she’s the one who managed to convince you to use that god awful app); Winn isn’t talking to you since Kara has given you the credits for the idea to stop an alien invasion at the DEO; and lastly but most certainly not least, Kara is too busy with both her jobs to even reply a simple text from you.

You don’t mind being alone. You really don’t. But… Sometimes – once in a blue moon – it gets kind of frustrating. So, you decide to focus on the thing you’re better at: your job.

Being an engineer at the DEO is nice. you have a chance to study and learn a lot more more than you ever did in college and you’re _saving the world_ with your best friend. _Sure, Supergirl does most of the job, but someone has to build the armor for her to do it, doesn’t it?_

For as long as you can remember, you have made the decision to live with the results of your own work instead of accepting some over the top position your family has to offer you at LuthorCorp. You live in a small apartment with a cat (Kara says you should adopt a dog, but that furball completely stole your heart when you first laid eyes on him) and this is more than enough for you. The luxurious Luthor life-style isn’t for you – even though sometimes you complain a bit about the price people like to charge for a good wine.

“Just buy the cheapest one”, Kara usually says.

“It’s not the same.” You have a good taste for wine and your friends will never understand.

The only thing you’re hating right now is the dead flowers by your door. You keep promising yourself you’ll buy new ones, but the thought never seem to stick and when you remember them, you’re already home.

And as if you’re mind isn’t already full enough, the news aren’t much of a help. _Supergirl saves the day! When will Lex Luthor apologise for his failed project?_

You don’t need this. Not right now, not never. Just one day, that’s all you want. Just one day for you to think about literally anything else.

You usually work with Kara and Alex, you share your tasks with Winn, but it’s Maggie who you talk to the most in your office. Be it to ask about some special gun the FBI knows nothing of or maybe invite you to join her for lunch in case Alex is otherwise busy. And, really, you do know her the longest, so it’s not at all surprising that she takes the lead as the person who visits your office the most – unless it’s Kara who’s asking. In that case, _she_ most certainly takes the lead.

“Luthor!” The loud voice makes you jump from your chair. Maybe you were a bit more lost in thoughts than you expected to, seeing as Maggie is sitting in the chair right beside you lord knows for how long with a wide, dimpled smile on her face. “You won’t believe what happened.”

“Please, if you’re gonna try and trick me into hearing about how many orgasms Alex has given you in your latest sexcapade, you should give up right now because I’ll start ignoring you and your seemingly teenaged-level sex life.” Your turn back to the screen and some careful calculation you need to get over with so you can make some progress in this particularly tricky project.

“Four times,” she says with a shit-eating grin, not in the least affected by the patented Luthor Glare™ you give her as soon as she opens her dirty mouth. “But really, you won’t believe my friend finally finished her project!”

“What project?”

“Her first restaurant.” Maggie fiddles with a pen she’s picked from your table. “She was working in Metropolis, then she finally found an investor for her small restaurant.”

You take the pen from her and write a number in a small piece of paper you have lying around. “And I should care because…”

“She offered me free lunch if I take care of her daughter tonight since the nanny she hired can only start tomorrow. The thing is that she told me what she really needs is free promoting.” That makes stops your writing immediately and you blankly stare at her. She might not be affected by the Glare™, but you know her well enough to know her weak spot is actually not showing her what you’re feeling or thinking. She lasts 5 seconds (probably a new record for her) before she crumbles. “Please just-”

“You date her sister! Why do _I_ need to convince Kara to write about her?”

“Because Kara will start with the whole ‘Cat won’t let me do it’ again, so you need to convince her. She always does what Alex tells her to not do, but she actually listens to you. Look, just do it and I’ll convince my friend to let _the both of us_ eat for free.”

She definitely knows your weak spot as well and she already has her arms up in victory when you sigh defeatedly, “Fine, but just because I want free food!”

“You’re the best, Luthor!”

Yes, you are, but free food is even better.

 

_________________

 

Either the elevator has gotten faster or you’re so tired you don’t notice when it stops on you floor with a loud ding as the doors open. You feel so mentally and physically tired. You reach the door of your apartment ready to throw yourself on the couch when you notice something strange.

The dead flowers aren’t there anymore. There’s no mess or anything other than some _new_ flowers. You don’t know what kind of flowers they are, but they’re small and beautiful.

There’s a small note attached to the them. ‘ _Sorry if it seems rude, I just thought you could use some new flowers_ ’ , the note says. You look to your neighbors’ doors, but nothing seems out of the ordinary in any of them, only yours. You enter the apartment and grab the little notepad and a pen you keep in the coffee table in case you have some sudden inspiration for the DEO.

‘ _Hi! Thank you for the flowers. They are beautiful. I’ve been procrastinating getting new ones for quite some time now. I really owe you one_.’ 

You put the note in the flowers before heading back inside and passing out on the couch with a smile on your face.

 

_________________

 

The next day, you comment the strange flower incident with Kara. She thinks maybe someone thought they were too ugly and it wasn’t good for the the neighbors. Maggie, who joins the meeting few minutes later with Alex, thinks someone was trying to flirt with you, while Alex thinks maybe your family ordered the flowers just to to see your reaction.

And even if you choose not to think about it too much, you really can’t help but being curious. You hope whoever left the flowers got your note.

“Ok, so.” Kara says when Winn joins the conversation with some… unrealistic theories, “Lena mentioned the whole _need to promote a friend’s restaurant in order to get free food_ thing to me.” The comment clearly gets Maggie excited. “You know I can’t do it like that, Maggie. Cat would kill me if I decided to write about a restaurant for no good reason.”

Maggie deflates like a balloon at that. It’s clear that she had hopes that you could convince Kara. “I may have an idea,” you say after a few seconds of disappointed silence. “We can plan an event. Tell your friend that she’s having a big opening night.”

“Ok, I get what you want to do, but there’s no way we can make it big enough to replace something like an article at CatCo.” Kara argues, the crease that makes it so completely impossible for anyone to _not_ know she’s Supergirl making an appearance.

“Yes, you’re right. A Luthor makes a bit of difference but if I pull some strings, I might find more people to come to National City for this.” You may not want to pull said strings, but you’re pretty confident your plan will work. Maggie’s gonna owe you a lot more than just free food when this particular brand of nightmare is done.

“Oh, I have one condition to join this whole idea, though.” Kara says and you try to ready yourself for whatever argument shy may have. “I like the plan, I love your friend’s idea, but I wanna make sure she’s a good chef before we put any effort into this.”

“Sure, I’ll check with her if we can visit it before the opening.” Maggie quickly picks her phone and starts typing.

“Lena, are you sure about your plan?” Alex sounds a little concerned for you.

“Yeah, this won’t hurt.” _Much_ , you mentally finish the sentence. You’re not sure about it, but you’re certain you’ll hate yourself for it later.

 

_________________

 

Lex Luthor will never change. You repeat that to yourself since you were 15. He’ll always be the selfish and spoiled boy who almost made Kara’s cousin get expelled for dating the girl he liked. There was a time when you thought he would change and mature, but your father gives him the job as soon as he graduates college that does nothing to help him growing as a person: LCorp’s CEO. You can’t say it surprises you when he changes the company’s name to LexCorp the moment your father dies.

He answers the phone immediately when you call him, almost as if he’s expecting it. He goes on and on on how he misses you and how you should see each other more often, how he could use your help at LexCorp, how much he needs your help.

You hate the idea of needing him as well.

The conversation vanishes from your mind the moment you find a post-it on your door. The note you left on the flowers is no longer there.

‘ _Hey, don’t worry about the flowers. And now that you left me this note I’m happy to know you appreciate them, so I’m glad I decided to give them to you_.’ 

When you think about meeting neighbors, it never really crosses your mind to do so by exchanging notes. But hey, it’s happening and they actually brighten your day a bit so you really don’t care about what can be considered conventional neighborhood socializing skills.

You sit on the floor, pick up a paper and a pen and write another note.

‘ _I’m flattered. Just let me return the favor at least. Whenever you can or need. At least a cup of coffee. The flowers really made my day_.’

When you read it again to make sure it’s not creepy or has some spelling error, you realize you just offered to have coffee with a stranger. It’s crazy, but so is Tinder and yet you went on a date with a stranger.

You put the note by the flowers with a decisive shrug.

 

_________________

 

A few days later, Maggie invites you to her friend’s restaurant. It doesn’t seem too fancy, but the place still has a sophisticated vibe to it. It’s also very cozy, which makes you think that maybe that’s what home must feel like to those who have it.

“Hey, Lena.” Maggie calls you as you arrive at the table. Kara and Alex are also there, but clearly too focused on a conversation amongst themselves. “This is Ruby. She’s the little girl I was talking about.”

You look to Ruby, who is concentrated in her drawing. She looks like she’s about 5 and you can’t see what she’s working on. “Hi, Ruby,” you say calling her attention. She gives you a wide smile and you feel you heart warming. Which is kind of unexpected. You never thought of yourself as a child person.

“She doesn’t talk too much at first,” the sweet tone behind you makes you turn. The woman resembles the little girl sitting beside Maggie, so probably Ruby’s mother and Maggie’s friend. “Give her 10 minutes, however, and she’ll call you ‘pretty lady’ for the rest of the day.”

You feel your face burning. You don’t know why exactly. Maybe because she called you pretty, but the woman is so stunning that you don’t have a reaction or words to say to her.  

“Oh sorry. Sam.” She says, waving her hand. “You must be Lena, since… Well, we were only waiting for you.”

“You guys talked about me?” You glance to Maggie raising one of your eyebrows.

“Unfortunately, not much.” Sam answers for Maggie. You turn to face her again and she explains. “I know who you are and what you’re willing to do for me. I can’t thank you enough.”

“It’s no big deal.” It is, but now you feel like it worth. What can you say? You’re completely whipped when it comes to beautiful ladies. Even if you don’t really know them.

“I feel like I owe you big time.” You exchange a look with Sam for a brief minute before the sound coming from the kitchen gets her attention. “I need to check this. You might wanna think on how I should pay you back for what you’re doing. Also, feel free to order anything, it’s on the house.” Sam brushes Ruby’s hair with her hand before leaving, then goes quickly to the kitchen.

You sit by Ruby’s side not wanting to bother her nor get Kara and Alex’s attention at least not until your face stops feeling like it’s on fire.

(Your effort is proven useless when you notice Maggie with a shit-eating grin on her face. _Yep, you’ll never hear the end of this_.)

 

_________________

 

“So what are you drawing?” you finally ask the little girl when you compose yourself.

“Mums!” The small girl says excitedly.

You exchange a confused look with Maggie who doesn’t seem to get what she means either. A shiver goes down your back when someone lightly touches your back. And, really, it’s a very sensitive part of your body, but given that you weren’t expecting it, there’s really nothing you can do to stop it from happening. You turn your head and see Sam sitting on the empty seat by your side.

“She means Chrysanthemum.” Sam tells you like it’s the most natural thing in the world. You and Maggie stare blankly at Sam, waiting for further explanation. She doesn’t seem to understand it for few seconds and then, “Oh, I mean the flowers. It’s called chrysanthemums, but Ruby only calls them mums.” Sam asks Ruby to show the picture she’s coloring and you notice it looks like the flowers on your doorstep. “She likes flowers, so I bought a coloring book for her.”

“They’re definitely beautiful.”

“They’re my favorite!” Ruby affirms enthusiastically. “I love them. My grandma always has them in her store, I always pick the yellow and the green.”

The three giggle at how cute this girl is. “Of course you like them, honey. They’re beautiful. Just like you.” Sam completes with a wink directed at her daughter. The exchange warms your heart a bit more than you think it should.

The table gets quiet for a short period. Sam explains to you what she cooked. You and the girls agree on letting Sam pick your dishes since no one has ever tried Cuban food before.

She picks seafood for you and explains why she decided to study Cuban cuisine while you eat the most delicious dish you’ve had. And that’s saying a lot considering the sheer amount of events you had to attend with your parents when you were younger.

Sam mentions she’s adopted and that she never met her biological parents, but her mother helped her learn about her culture, which she feels really blessed for. She spent 2 years studying in Cuba, then went to Metropolis to finish her college. That’s when she found out about Ruby.

Her parents helped her taking care of Ruby so she could finish college, then she tried to balance parenthood and work. When she thought the moment was right, she decided it was time to fly solo, so she asked Maggie for help finding investors to open her own restaurant.

“So, this is the story of my life,” she finishes before taking a sip of her wine. “It might sound boring for you, I mean, you’re one of the most influential people in the worl-”

“Oh please, you can make a girl get down on her knees with one dish.” You blurt out without even thinking about it.

“That’s an amazing review. I’ll put it on the menu.” You bury your face in your hands making Sam laugh. “Don’t worry, Lena. I know what you meant.”

“Well, good because now I want more than… I don’t know the name of this.”

“ _Paella. Seafood Paella._ ” Sam says it with the accent.

“So, paella… I might want to try a bit more of it. You know, to make sure it’s really as good as the first time. I’m a scientist, it’s all about extensive testing.” You smirk at her and try to wink. You’re 90% sure you actually blinked both eyelids, though.

“Good, I’ll make sure you’ll have a reason come back.” Sam’s voice is a little more delicate and sweet this time. You quickly glance to the girls and you couldn’t be happier that they’re not paying any attention to what’s happening right now.

When you get home you can’t deny that this was the most interesting dinner you’ve had and you can’t wait for tomorrow.

 

__________

 

 _Green seems better_ , you think to yourself as you check your reflection in the mirror. You don’t have any makeup yet, but your mind is focused on your dress. It has nothing to do with Lex or your mother, but you wanna look flawless tonight.

 _I don’t feel like this is a black dress night and red seems a bit too much._ The green one is rather simple, but it fits so well on your body that it looks like it was made especially for you.

You settle down with the green dress after a couple more minutes you spend closely inspecting your reflection. You feel so nervous and honestly have no idea why that is. You know it’s not the event, you’ve done this more times than you can bring yourself to remember. It’s not Lex, since you’re not afraid of him or what he can do. A part of you considers it may be because you wanna impress Sam, but it doesn’t really make any sense. She’s someone you just met.

You finally finish your hair, then decide you’re not waiting for Kara. She has been so busy lately and you don’t wanna get there late. You open your door and see the note stuck there.

‘ _Hey, I know I said few days ago we should get that coffee you promised, but I’ve never said when. The hardest part of my job is almost done and I might have some free time this week. Let me know when you can, sweetheart_ ’. You’ve been exchanging notes for days, but you finally have a chance to meet the woman (she clarified that part a few days before).

You put her note in your purse and write your answer. ‘ _I have an event tonight and I can’t miss it. Tomorrow, maybe? I can’t wait to meet you._ ’ And you put it in the middle of the flowers.

You kind of wish you could just meet her right away since she seems able to make your days brighter only with small notes. Yet, Sam needs you tonight.

 

__________

 

Once again, you spend the dinner listening to Lex bragging about business - _as if you care about that._ You even put on the effort to pretend to care about your mother and ask him about her. Lex promises he doesn't know what she’s been up to, though. You find that pretty hard to believe, considering he’s her glittering boy, but you really don’t care about it enough to call him out on that.

A few minutes later, Kara has to leave because of some strange activity from Cadmus. Well, at least the little conversation you managed to handle with him is enough for her article. And she promised to take a moment to actually mention Sam’s restaurant in it so you can’t really complain.

“Since your _friend_ is gone, it’s time for the regular proposition I make you every meeting we have: when will you work with me?” He says without taking his eyes of you.

“Well, like I told you every other time you asked me that question: I’m not going to take care of your business. There’s no way I can make myself more clear.”

“Come on, Lena,” he sounds disappointed as usual. “You’re a Luthor, you were born to be big, not to work for someone else.”

“Lex, I told you, I’m not going back to Metr-”

He interrupts you with a grin, “It’s in National City.” For a brief second you think this is a joke and/or part of some evil plan of his. But when you see how serious he is, you starts to consider it. And you might hate yourself for it.

“Excuse me,” the server politely interrupts your train of thought and the more emotional side of you might even love them for it. “The chef asked if you needed anything else.”

You need time, that’s all you want right now. You let Lex read the menu once again while you quietly pick a piece of paper from your bag and write it down. “ _Sam, I need you help. Please, anything will help_.” 

You put it inside of the menu and handle it to the server, “Seafood Paella.”

 

_________

 

You’re so lucky Sam recognized the order with the note. Few minutes after, the server comes back telling Lex someone from LexCorp called. He takes the call and comes back excusing himself because there seems to have some emergency that needs his immediate attention and leaves without sharing any more details with you.

You think about leaving, but the server says Sam wants to see you later. You ask them to give her your positive answer and sit back down to eat your dinner alone.

Sam is really busy tonight, but that doesn’t really surprise you, given that this is the main reason why you planned this event to begin with. You spend your time texting your friends, even asking Kara if she needs your help, but she tells you to just enjoy the night.

You’re flooded with a sense of relief when you see the server coming from the kitchen with a tired smile and the promise that Sam will finally be joining you in a few and, taking in consideration how busy she looked when you managed to catch a glimpse of her earlier in the evening, you’re actually surprised she’s able to join you so soon.

Sam comes out few minutes later with two drinks and a wide smile sitting right next to you.

“Sorry. I didn’t want to leave you alone, but… I didn’t want you to go without talking to you first.” You notice she’s discreetly looking you up and down. Not in a creepy way, though. Not like you’re a piece of meat. Sam is flirty, but you’ve noticed how soft she is with you. You feel her fingertips touching your back lightly and fight the shiver that threatens to follow her touch. “By the way, you look beautiful tonight.”

You giggle, “I’m a mess, right now.”

“So am I.” Sam adds up. “Yet, I might have plans to take a beautiful woman somewhere.”

“Do you do that with all your new friends or is this some sort of special treatment?” Now you’re the one staring at her lips, but you can’t really be held accountable for that when Sam looks like she just came out of a magazine cover even though she worked her ass off all day.

“Well, only when I feel like this _friend_ is special to me.” Sam has serious tone in her voice. She takes a sip from her drink, then looks back to you. “Are you ready for our little adventure?”

_____________

 

Sam’s definition of adventure is to steal flowers. Apparently, she knows ‘a guy who works at a flower shop’, so he lets you sneak the store in the middle of the night to get some flowers. She says Ruby will only forgive her for getting home so late if she takes some flowers with herself, but she also gives you a red chrysanthemum. You tell her you’ve just recently discovered the flower and fell in love with it. She doesn’t need to know why.

When it’s done, Sam tells you she’s going to take you home. It’s kind of a surprise. You thought you would spend the night getting to know her, but then again, she has a kid, so you understand the need to cut this short and the need to always plan ahead.

You tell her the directions to your place, eyes on the flower and a small genuine smile on your lips all the time. Seeing  your attention stuck on the plant more than on her, she asks you if you really liked it that much. You just tell her it means a lot.

Sam asks about the dinner with Lex with happy grin in her face and you tell her what happened, not really sure if you care all that much that he had to cut the dinner short. She confirms your suspicion that she was behind the mysterious call he got from LexCorp, which surprises you. Sure, you know she’s from Metropolis, but you never thought she’d have that level of contacts. And, seeing as she makes you feel comfortable around her, you tell her about the offer he made you. You just met her and this might come back to bite you in the ass later, but you feel like you can trust her.

She doesn’t really try to find a solution for you like people usually do whenever someone shares a struggle with them, she simply tells you to do what you think it’s best for yourself, but she does tell you she might miss you if you end up going back to Metropolis. The sentiment actually makes you feel all fuzzy and warm on the inside. A pretty lady telling you she might miss you? Hard hit on your very gay heart.

When you arrive at your apartment, you ask Sam to come inside with you. You use the ‘let’s drink some coffee before you have to go’ excuse, but mostly you just want to talk a bit more with her before she has to go.

“So, this is my apartment,” you says pointing to the front door. You check the flowers quickly to see if your neighbor left you something. There’s nothing, but you notice your note is no longer there.

“I didn’t think you’d really like chrysanthemums. Had I known, I would’ve brought more with us.”

“It’s… Something that I only found a few weeks ago.” You’re not lying, you’ve never really known how much you like them. “I didn’t even know the name or anything. You were the one who explained more about it, to be honest.”

“Look, Lena… This might sound crazy, but I really need to tell you something.” You notice the worried tone in her voice. She opens her mouth few times, but the words don’t come out. “Ugh, I need to say it before she comes. I’m sure she’ll see my car outside.”

“Wait,” you say more confused than before. “Did you say ‘she’?”

Sam doesn’t answer because both are interrupted by the noise of the neighbor’s door opening. You look to the door to see a little girl, apparently tired, coming out. “Mom?” It takes few seconds to you recognize Ruby as she stops rubbing her eyes and gives a big smile when she sees Sam. “Mums!”

“Hey, baby girl.” She goes to Sam to give her a hug. Sam looks at you apologetically, but you don’t mind being interrupted by her. “I’m coming, just give me few seconds so I-”

Ruby interrupts Sam once again. “Are you giving the neighbor more mums?”

You honestly don’t figure it out until hearing Ruby’s ask. You have so many questions to Sam that you don’t know where you should start.

“Lena, I’m sorry. I can explain it.” Sam sounds honest to you, but yet you don’t know if you should be happy about it or angry because she didn’t tell you earlier. Anyway, you have a lot to think about before talking with her again.

“Not now. I should be going. It’s late to talk about it and I’m sure she needs to sleep.” Sam looks like she’s about to protest, but she only nods and you say goodnight to both of them before you turn you back and go inside.

As you enter your house and lock the door, you listen Ruby’s voice on the hall. You wonder how many times you heard them passing by, looking at your door, waiting to know you too. You lay down on the couch, and the cat immediately jumps on your belly, using his nails in preparation to make you his bed and immediately starts purring softly once he’s comfortable enough like he knows what’s happening. You distractedly scratch behind his ears, making him purr a bit louder in appreciation while you think about everything that happened today.

Right now, it doesn’t really matter whether or not you’re gonna talk to Sam ever again, but you won’t deny that her company or what she did without even knowing you made you very happy. And maybe this is enough.

______

On the next day, you spend your day inside your house. Kara keeps calling as she probably wants to know what happened after she left, but you’re not on the mood to talk to her. Or _anyone_ , for that matter.

You decide on watching some TV to numb your mind a bit so you don’t think about Sam, but it doesn’t help you at all. Sam seems to be stuck in your mind as a constant background, so you really need to face the facts.

Sam wanted to know you as Lena Luthor, not as Lex’ sister, which, really, you’re both relieved and glad to find someone who doesn’t care about your last name; she never asked you for anything. The thing you did for her wasn’t something _she_ suggested – it was _your_ idea; the simple gesture of putting flowers on your door made you happier than ever and you can’t deny that this is the main reason why you wanted to know who’s responsible for it.

You want to know more about her. Aside from the conversations you’ve had with her where she told part of her story, the only thing you know is what Maggie told you about her. You’re curious by nature. It’s what makes you such a great scientist, but it’s also what’s killing you right now. You’re not simply curious; you’re curious of _her_.

You hear steps outside of your door. Part of you wishes it’s Sam, but you don’t know if you’re ready for that conversation or not. But soon enough the steps are gone.

You wait few minutes before opening the door and checking both the door itself and the flowers. The disappointment you feel when you find nothing there should really tell you what you really want, but, hey. Denial and drama are what you’re best at, after all.

“Mom went to work.” You’re not very proud to admit you actually jumped a bit when you hear the voice of the little girl from the other side of the hall. “She looked sad. She didn’t talk about the mums today.”

“She was sad? Since when?” You ask. You’re curious, but slightly afraid of the answer.

Ruby goes to your door to check the flowers. “I think since last night. She looked sad after you went inside. I asked if I did something wrong, but mom said I didn’t.” She raises her head to look at you, all wide eyes shining with unshed tears, before asking, “did I do something wrong, Miss Lena?”

“No, you didn’t, sweetheart.” You gently put your hand on her head as she smiles relieved. “But I think I know how to cheer up your mom if you wanna help me?”

The big and excited smile she gives you, tears long gone from her eyes, is all the answer you need.

______________

When you arrive at Sam’s restaurant, you find few employees cleaning the place. The person who served you last night is focused at their papers and doesn’t notice you until you come closer. They raise their head and give you a surprised look.

“Miss Luthor,” they say in a surprised tone. “I wasn’t informed you would be here tonight. I’m sorry, but we only open in few hours.”

“Oh no, that’s ok. I didn’t come here to eat or anything.” You quickly look to the kitchen door, but you don’t see Sam. “I was look for Samantha.”

“Well… She’s busy today.” They answer with a different tone and then look away for a brief second, making you question that particular information. “You know how it is. She’s reading the feedback and making some changes, helping her employees on the kitchen since we’ll open in 2 hours…”

“Is she too busy to talk with her friend for 5 minutes?” They nod and you raise your eyebrow. “C’mon, tell her it’s important.”

“I’m sorry, Miss Luthor, but I have orders to-” The kitchen door is suddenly opened, interrupting them. Sam comes out and you can’t help but smile as you see her.

“Lena.” She says in a serious tone making you a bit scared. “You need anything?”

You say yes and she tells the server to inform everyone she’ll come back soon. Sam leads you by the hand to a table far from everyone so you can talk with at least some form of privacy. She seems serious yet you can see a little bit of tiredness in her features as she sits across from you, seemingly ready to listen whatever you have to say, but the whole speech you had in mind before getting there is suddenly gone. _You should’ve written it down._

You take a deep breath to try and calm your nerves in front of her and then look away from her to avoid seeing her reaction. “I need apologize for the way I behaved last night, but I hope you understand my side too.” You start fidgeting with your fingers because you don’t know exactly why you reacted the way you did without seeming that you don’t trust her (which, to be honest, would be understandable given that you two just met). “I’ve had people in my life before who used me because of who I am and I _might_ have some trust issues.”

“Lena, it’s okay if you don’t trust me yet-“

“No, that’s not the problem,” you tell her as honestly as you can. You try to avoid the smile appearing your face as you think of everything that’s happened between the two of you both before and after getting to know each other. “I knew I could trust you the moment we first talked. I was so confused when I found out it was you because I thought of how long you knew and couldn’t help but wonder if you were going to keep it from me.” You finally make eye contact and raise your hand to stop her before she can say anything. “I need to be fully honest with you: you have no idea how happy I am to know the girl who was flirting with me was you.”

“Hey, you were flirting with me too,” Sam protests with a grin.

“Well, you were the one who put flowers in my door, Miss Arias.”

“Oh, about that. It wasn’t me.” You look confused, but she continues her story. “When we moved in, Ruby hated the look of your apartment, so we bought the flowers and she was the one who left it there. Don’t _ever_ let her think I took her credits for the flowers or she’ll kill me. The only thing I really did was the notes, I didn’t want to seem nosey for doing what she wanted.” You feel relief flood your chest at that. It would have been pretty awkward if she wasn’t The Girl.

“So, _when_ did you find out I was the neighbor-with-the-ugly-apartment?” you ask her with a smirk.

“Yesterday.” Huh. So maybe your overreaction the night before was even more over than you first thought. You try really hard not to blush at that. “You sent me a note to ‘save you from Lex’, and I may or may not have read the notes from my flirty neighbor one too many times, so I recognized the handwriting. I actually tried to tell you like two times last night, but, just like Ruby, you never let me finish my sentences.”

“I feel like this is a callout.” She nods agreeing and you both giggle like schoolgirls. When you stop, you notice you’ve been holding her hand for an undetermined amount of time without noticing, but she doesn’t complain about it, so you don’t let go. “I didn’t come here only to apologize.” You pick the bag you left on the floor and put a red chrysanthemum on the table for her. “According to Google and Ruby, a red chrysanthemum is really rare and it means you love the person you are giving it to…” You think about your words for few seconds and rectify what you said. “Not that I’m in love with you, I mean… I think I like you somehow and I think you’re a rare person in my life at this moment.”

“I like you too, Lena.” Sam’s voice is very soft and it makes your heart warm little bit. “But I wanna do this properly, ok?” You nod in agreement. You couldn’t have it any other way than having a real date before taking any more steps. “And, if I remember it correctly, someone owes me a coffee date anyway.”

“Do we count it as two coffee dates because I asked you twice or should we have a nice coffee date and then drink wine on my couch?” Sam’s laugh makes you all tingly and, in a way, really proud of yourself for being the reason behind it and, if you’re being honest with yourself, you can’t wait to have more of that in your life.


End file.
